Intermittent Fasting

Ever since my wonderful husband mentioned on Facebook that I was doing Intermittent Fasting I have been getting so many messages asking about it. So here we are, I’m going to give you a walk through what Intermittent Fasting is , why I did this, how I do it and my results so far.


Disclaimer: I am not a health expert nor did I see a nutritionist about this. I did my own research on Intermittent Fasting and decided to try it for myself. So take this as my experience.


What is Intermittent Fasting:


Intermittent fasting is not a diet, it is a pattern of eating. It can be done to promote weight loss but it’s mainly a pattern of eating. This form of fasting allows your body to break down fat cells easier than usual. This is because during your fasting time your body taps into your stored fat for energy instead of food.


There are different forms of Intermittent Fasting, here are the 2 most popular ones I’ve found:


Option 1:
16/8: You fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour window to eat.


Option 2:
Eat, Fast, Eat: This allows you to alternate your fasting and eating days. You eat regularly for 24 hours then fast for 24 hours.


Why I chose Intermittent Fasting:


I absolutely love to eat and with my schedule we eat out often. Also since I have a desk job I can sit and snack all day which is not healthy. I am 32 years old and my body aches. I have 3 Children that I have to keep up with so my body cannot slow me down. I didn’t realize why my body was aching until I stepped on the scale and saw that I was at my heaviest weight. I am a short lady, I am 5’1 (probably 5’0 but I add an inch)so my body cannot handle all this extra weight which was causing the aches. Something had to change and I knew it had to be the way I was eating. I have tried working out at home and counting calories.My sister, who weight trains, even gave me some at-home workouts to do but I just couldn’t consistently do it. I knew the only way I could shed some weight was changing the way I eat and that’s when I came across Intermittent Fasting.


How I Intermittent Fast:


The method I chose was the 16/8 Method. I fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour eating window. Based on our schedule we normally eat dinner between 8:30 and 9:30pm so I fast from 10pm - 2pm. During my fasting hours I drink water and coffee then eat my first meal at 2pm. In my experience the first 3 days were the hardest and I was already hungry by noon. I quickly learned that the more water I drink the less hungry I was. My body had to get use to this eating pattern.


My results:


Remember I decided to do Intermittent Fasting to not only loss weight but also to change my eating pattern. I have been doing this for about 2 weeks and I can tell you my eating habits changed on their own. I found that when it was time to break my fast (eat my first meal) I got full really fast. I actually end up eating about 2 meals a day with a snack in between and a lot of water. This actually happened self consciously. I can try to eat more but I feel sick and over full afterwards. As far as weight loss I have lost 4 pounds in 1 week. I plan on continuing this eating pattern until my body gets use to it then try to incorporate some type of cardio for toning. I will update everyone on my progress as I continue this journey.


Join me and share your success by posting pictures using #imlivinginfaitheveryday. Let’s motivate each other.


Q &A

1. What are my fasting hours and eating hours? I fast from 10pm-2pm so my first meal of the day is at 2pm.
2. Can I drink anything during my fasting hours? Yes, you can drink water, black coffee or unsweetened tea. No sugar.
3. Do you have to change your diet? No, you eat what you would normally eat.
4. Can I choose my fasting and eating hours? Yes, you do what fits your schedule. The point is to fast for 16 hours straight.
5. What if I just can’t hold off that long? I would recommend starting slow. Start with 12 hours and gradually go up to 16.
6. Have I cheated on my fast? Yes, I have eaten a snack before 2pm. I have eaten dinner past 10pm. Don’t be hard on yourself, do the best you can until you get use to this pattern.